A young Tibetan girl from southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region has fully recovered from severe scoliosis and can now stand tall again, thanks to a healthcare aid program channeling Shanghai's medical expertise to Xizang.
Dawa Jila, from Lhatse County in Xigaze City, suffered from severe scoliosis that stunted her growth.
At the age of six, she measured only 80 centimeters tall-- nearly 30 centimeters shorter than her peers -- and her condition had begun to impair her cardiopulmonary function.
Her illness was first diagnosed in 2018 during a free rural clinic organized by a Shanghai medical assistance team. Since then, successive teams of Shanghai doctors have closely monitored her condition and developed a long-term treatment plan.
In 2024, Dawa Jila underwent two successful spinal correction surgeries in Shanghai, which dramatically improved her curvature and allowed her height to catch up with that of other children her age.
In May 2025, accompanied by her father, Dawa Jila once again visited Lhatse County Central Hospital in Xigaze to conduct rehabilitation.
Zhu Falin, a doctor from Shanghai and the director of Lhatse County Central Hospital, along with experts from Shanghai First Rehabilitation Hospital, conducted an online consultation for Dawa Jila.
"Everyone, please give full advice on the child's rehabilitation, including the spine, gait, mental health, and healthy growth," said Zhu.
After six years of continuous care, Dawa Jila now attends school like other children. She has grown increasingly confident and dreams of becoming a doctor herself.
"I want to be a doctor, just like them (my doctors), and repay them when I grow up," said Dawa Jila.
Xizang-Shanghai health assistance program helps girl with severe scoliosis stand tall
